Split Decision
by Karashi
Summary: Is love a Battle or a Contest? May is certainly having a hard time deciding. A 30-prompt challenge. Contestshipping vs Hoennshipping. A bit of anime-verse, a bit of game-verse, and a possibility of AU. Assume no continuity unless otherwise stated.
1. Turning Point

**Disclaimers: **Pokemon and its subsequent characters belong to Nintendo. I only own whatever OC I toss into these things, which I will try to keep to a bare minimum.

**Turning Point: Contestshipping vs Hoennshipping**

It was a quaint little place, cozy and quiet and away from prying eyes and ears. In a booth, three women sat, two had already given their order and were amicably chatting while the third was still studying the menu.

The waiter returned to place a sundae in front of the woman with long, dark hair tucked into a white hat. As she took up her spoon, the waiter lowered an oran sorbet before the woman with short orange hair.

"Have you decided on what you want, miss?" he asked with a friendly smile addressing the brunette.

She all but slammed the menu down and snapped, "No! I haven't! It's a very important decision so stop pressuring me!"

The waiter apologized and half-scurried half-ran away from the table, leaving the brunette's friends to deal with her outburst.

"Is something the matter, May?" the dark-haired woman asked carefully.

"Nothing! Nothing is the matter! Do you think I have a problem, Misty?" May demanded defensively.

"We've been meeting at this café for over fifteen years so Dawn and I know you _always_ get a pecha parfait," the Cerulean Gym Leader answered. "Besides, it's obvious you weren't talking about your dessert being a very important decision."

"Then again, May does love her sweets," Dawn mused, tapping the curve of her spoon lightly against her lip in thought. "But you've been awfully quiet since we got here."

"It's nothing, you two are just reading too much into what I say," May lowered her gaze back to the menu but she was obviously not reading the listed items. Her two friends exchanged looks before Dawn snatched the laminated booklet away and signaled for the waiter to return while Misty held May's arms flat on the table.

Cautiously, the man returned, holding his pad of order slips protectively in front of his face, "R-ready to make your order?"

"She'll have a pecha parfait with extra sprinkles," Dawn supplied.

"And we'd like three glasses of leppa wine," Misty added. She gave a quick glance at May's thunderous expression and amended, "Make that three empty glasses and a whole bottle of leppa wine."

Relieved he wasn't yelled at again or had anything thrown at him, the waiter promised to be back with their order shortly.

"You have until the waiter comes back with our order to come clean, May," Misty stated. "We're all friends here-"

"And friends help each other out with their problems," Dawn finished. "C'mon May, spiiiiiiill~"

The brunette Coordinator sighed in defeat and murmured, "It's Drew and Brendan."

"Did something happen to them?" Misty gasped, leaning in closer.

"N-no! Not _to_ them but..." at this point May's face was cheri red right to the tips of her ears. "You two know how Drew and I date on and off."

"Yeah, usually when it's Contest season. You two always seem to push each other to do your very best when you're together," Dawn sighed dreamily. "There are a ton of great Coordinators, like Robert and Solidad and of course Yours Truly, but you two tend to end up being the darlings of the news and magazines."

May simply laughed, "You can have all the paparazzi that like to hound me, Dawn. I'm sure if they take one look at Paul they won't be able to get far enough away."

"But don't you and Drew go your separate ways as soon as the Grand Festival is done?" Misty frowned.

"Yeah, we do. I mean, we both go back to our hometown to rest a bit. And then it's back to traveling to get better and hone our Coordinating skills. It's just that Drew and I don't often pick the same places we want to go to. And then Brendan always offers to travel with me."

"I guess his research would let him travel all over at his own pace," Dawn supplied.

"I heard he's already had a dissertation published in that magazine for Pokemon professors. He and Gary Oak are causing something of a buzz despite being some of the younger professors," Misty beamed then saw the questioning looks on her friends. "What? Gary may be not be a Trainer anymore but he's still one of Ash's best friends so we do talk sometimes."

"And speaking of Ash, how are you and your hubby doing?" Dawn leered, nudging Misty with an elbow.

"Hey! I am not the one who needs help," Misty pointed out, trying to steer the conversation back to May. She succeeded.

"Okay so during Contest crunch time, you've got Drew for company and when it's down time you got Brendan with you. Sounds like a great system to me!" Dawn giggled, "What's the problem?"

"Well, I've been meaning to go back to Unova for some time now. And it turns out they _both_ were planning to go too. I don't know who to go with and if either of you tells me to go with _both_ of them, they plan on starting out at opposite ends of the region!"

It was perfect timing on the waiter's part to arrive with May's parfait and the requested alcohol, mostly the requested alcohol, which May took a swig of before even touching her parfait.

"I still don't get the problem, May. Why is picking between Drew and Brendan such a big deal?"

The brunette chewed on her lower lip before mumbling, "Because Brendan wants me to go with him as his girlfriend. And I _think_ Drew also said the same thing but you know he doesn't give me straight answers."

"Is that it? That's such an easy choice," Misty laughed.

"I know! You should have just asked us for help sooner," Dawn nodded sagely.

"Well I'm glad it's so easy for you two," May rolled her eyes and scooped a spoonful of her parfait into her mouth, "So who should I pick?"

"Drew," Dawn said at the same time Misty declared, "Brendan."

The two women stared at each other as if the other person had just grown an extra head.

"What? May and Drew have the most amazing chemistry on stage! _Do you not_ _watch TV_?"

"May and Brendan go way back and have known each other since they were kids! And he's always been there for her whereas Drew is only around during Contests!"

"Uh, guys," May squeaked.

"Drew comes from LaRousse so of course he'd have to go back home now and again!"

"Exactly and Brendan is from Littleroot, which is a _lot_ closer to Petalburg! And you can't beat how he's always willing to go wherever May wants to go!"

"Guys," May repeated with her face buried in her hands.

"You can't disregard the fact that Drew is why May is such a great Coordinator!"

"Hey!" May protested. While she had to agree that Drew certainly kept her on her toes, Dawn just disregarded any conscious decision the brunette ever made regarding her career.

"And you can't disregard that Brendan would fit in with May's family much easier because he's practically family already!"

"Hey!" May groaned. While it was true Norman and Caroline viewed Brendan like a second son, there was something almost incestuous to the way Misty described it.

As the argument between her two friends went on, the brunette Coordinator felt the start of a headache. Maybe a drink will help clear her head. If not one then two or three or six.

"You're just saying that because you and Ash have that known-each-other-for-forever thing!"

"And you're just saying that because you buy into the media hype!"

"Um, will there be anything else?" the waiter timidly asked, wishing he was somewhere out of the blast radius such as the next restaurant over.

"Two more orders of leppa wine," May sighed.

"I do _not_ buy into the media hype! It's not my fault I'm up to date with the latest trends!"

"Trends? Don't you mean fads? The basics are the most important things to master because everything is built on them!"

"Er, glass or bottle?" the waiter clarified.

May stared pointedly at him, "What do you think?"

"Bottles it is."

"Admit it Dawn, you've always had a thing for Ash and that's why you picked Paul over Lucas because Paul's a Trainer!"

"Oh my Arceus, Misty, give it a rest! I admit I had the tiniest crush on Ash but that's in the past! I love Paul!"

Misty seemed to have either the best or worst sense of timing because May was mid-gulp when she asked "So who do you love, May?"

The brunette spat out the mouthful right at the approaching waiter (who was going to get a huge tip as an apology after all's said and done) holding two more bottles of leppa wine. Stiffly, he placed the two bottles on the table and marched away, silently fuming.

"Yeah, May, do you love Drew or Brendan?" Dawn piped in, seemingly immune to topic-whiplash.

"What the hell was all that earlier arguing about?" May coughed.

"Hm? Oh that's just us airing out grievances, it's no big deal!" Misty laughed, slinging an arm around Dawn's shoulder who returned the gesture.

"What really matters is that we figure out who you love."

"You should pick whoever makes you happy and makes you want to be the best you can be."

"And it should be someone who you understand and aren't afraid to be who you truly are with."

"You're describing Brendan, aren't you?" Misty insisted.

"Of _course_ she loves Brendan but like a _brother_," Dawn smirked. "It's actually Drew, isn't it?"

"Well of course she loves Drew but only in the professional sense," Misty countered.

And arguments once again filled the little café. It wasn't _all_ bad because May did eventually make a choice.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I have no idea why I see Misty as a Hoennshipper and Dawn as a Contestshipper, I really don't. I also can't be the only one who can't pick between these two ships, can I? Some future chapters will be written as if May picked Brendan over Drew while others will be the other way around. Reviews are loved and thoroughly appreciated!


	2. Admire

**Admire**

With every Contest televised, fame was just a channel switch away. An excellent performance could win a Coordinator more than just the ribbon. It could win them a rival or even an admirer or two. When May got older and got better at Coordinating, she one day learned that a group of people had formed a fan-club dedicated to her.

They carried professionally printed banners hanging from poles and waved homemade signs cheering on the Princess of Hoenn to victory. Bouquets were thrown and shouts of adoration drowned out the clapping whenever May took the stage. And in the aftermath of the competitions, May always, _always_ ended up surrounded.

Most of the time, it was women who swarmed May. Some were little girls who were starting out on their own journey, telling her how her performances made them want to be Coordinators themselves. Some were familiar faces from the MfP claiming seniority in being May's biggest fan and how they've bought any and all merchandise bearing her image _If she's on it, I own it!_

And then there were the fan-boys...

"How do you come up with your Contest Costumes?" one fan-boy asked the brunette, reaching out to brush his hands on the gauzy fabric of her headpiece as well as ignoring all sense of personal space.

"Oh sometimes it depends on the routine my Pokemon and I come up with," she cheerfully explained, tilting her head to angle the material out of his reach. "Or if it's a partnered Contest."

"Why don't you wear your Princess of Hoenn outfit anymore? I thought it really showed off your features," another man grinned.

"Because you're supposed to be watching how well my Pokemon perform," she was still smiling but there was a sharp edge to her voice that wasn't there when she spoke to the women.

"Ah, so it's not because you're having a hard time keeping your stomach flat?" the third man carelessly joked.

Before May could respond, a voice from behind the men said, "There you are."

* * *

**Contestshipping**

Drew was by nature a confident young man. He had complete faith in himself, his abilities, and his Pokemon. And he believed down to his very bones that he had every right to be wherever he wanted to be. You needed that sort of faith if you were going to partake in the ever-competitive world of Pokemon Contests. You had to be very sure of yourself, your identity, and your _style_ if you wanted to stand out in the good way, which Drew does in spades. It's probably why he had more than one fan-club and had his very first one when he was eleven.

In short, Drew was no stranger to people fawning over him or seeing fellow Coordinators being mobbed for their attention. So he wasn't surprised to find people clustered around her but when he saw there were more men than women chatting May up he couldn't help but feel... _threatened_ was not quite the right word.

Not when he could tell even when he was out of hearing range that whatever they were talking about was making May angry. He recognized the way her brows were slowly knitting together and how her stance was less relaxed and more guarded. He got close enough to catch the third man's words and knew he had no reason to feel anything but pity.

"There you are," he said.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting long," Drew purred in apology. He turned to the women gathered and gave them a dazzling smile, putting on a show more for the benefit of the fans than for May. "Ladies, thank you for keeping my girlfriend company."

"O-oh it was nothing Drew," one MfP-er giggled.

"I appreciate it all the same," he assured them, even going so far as to shake their hand.

Drew was by nature a confident man. But there were times he had to allow his calm self-assurance to tip over to the side of arrogance. And this was one of them. With a cocky grin that bordered on smug, he offered May his arm while positively _radiating_ self-importance.

He glanced at the fan-boys, did a brief once over, and proceeded to pretend they didn't exist. It was a risky move, ignoring fans of other people, and things could turn physical if he misjudged the situation. But he didn't win multiple Ribbon Cups because of dumb luck.

The fan-boys, visibly offended at being ignored, considered confronting him. But unlike Drew, they lacked that commanding presence. Oh you would notice them, the way you would notice the background. They're _there_ and that was pretty much it.

Once May took Drew's arm, the sight of them together eclipsed everything and everyone else. The fan-boys felt so small and insignificant, especially in such close proximity to the couple that they decided to skulk away.

From the corner of his eye, Drew watched them leave as he expected them to. Had any of them tried to pick a fight, well, May often paid Dr. Abby a visit to learn more about pressure points. The former Coordinator had expanded her practice to also involve humans and May was learning a great deal. As for Drew himself, every rose has its thorns and in his case, his knuckledusters were coated in Roserade's poison.

* * *

**Hoennshipping**

Brendan was by nature a hands-on type of guy. He wasn't afraid to get his clothes dirty or stay out all day in the wilderness. Trekking through forests and up into mountains was a challenge he welcomed. Facing down hordes of territorial Pokemon and proving himself a worthy trainer was a way of life. His love for battling was second only to his love of learning and after he conquered the Elite Four, he decided it was time to follow in his father's footsteps.

And when he had a goal, he threw himself at it whole-heartedly. Which was probably why he had a habit of getting too wrapped up in his research and needed reminding now and again that his girlfriend was participating in a Contest.

He was in the field, like always, patiently gathering and recording data on whether it was possible to terra-form a location to the benefit of _both_ man and the indigenous Pokemon when his PokeNav started to beep. It took the Professor a few moments to remember why he had set the alarm and was hurriedly packing his things while giving his assistant explicit instructions on how to proceed without him.

Rummaging through his bag revealed he only had his lab clothes and that he'd forgotten his trademark white hat. It looked like he would be forced to wear his lab coat. It wasn't exactly the most glamorous of outfits but at least he was presentable and wouldn't be barred entrance to the Contest Hall.

He didn't have time to choose his seat and somehow ended up in the cheering section for his girlfriend's biggest rival. But he's spent enough time in hostile environments for his line of work and he'd faced May's father not as a Trainer trying to earn the Balance Badge but as a Suitor.

And _lived_.

No way was a couple of death-glares going to keep him from cheering May on. Of course, once the Contest was over, there was the matter of _getting_ to her. He maneuvered his way through the sea of bodies, searching for May to give her his congratulations and to take her to dinner as promised.

Eventually he managed to spot her in the crowd. And while he was all carefree smiles, he didn't fail to notice how May was in a circle of men. Well, he couldn't blame them, May was an incredible young woman and he thanked Arceus every day that she returned his feelings.

"There you are," he said, gently shouldering past the men to stand by his girlfriend. "You were fantastic!"

"She's always fantastic," one of the fan-boys sagely nodded as the rest echoed their agreement. "Even when she loses, she looks so pretty doing so."

Brendan couldn't help but raise a brow, wondering _'Was that supposed to be a compliment?'_

He would have asked, but the last time he tried confronting her fans like that, May got angry at him for not letting her fight her own battles. So he bit his tongue and simply reached out to hold her hand, entwining her fingers with his.

He wanted to show her he would support her decisions.

The fan-boys, however, saw him as some interloper.

"Hey! Who said you could get all friendly with our Princess?"

Brendan blinked in confusion. He was sure everyone knew he and May were an item. Even the recluses in the Academy knew they were together. Then it hit him that he was wearing a lab coat and that he wasn't wearing his hat. Sometimes, it didn't pay to be too closely associated with a certain look.

"Listen, fellas," the Professor began in an attempt to placate the men, "I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding-"

"You're still holding her hand!" another accused in outrage, "How come we don't get to hold her hand? We've been in the May fan-club for _years_ and we only ever get to talk to her!"

"Everyone, this is Brendan Birch," May introduced, "You know? My boyfriend?"

The fan-boys stared at her as if she'd just spoken in a foreign language. Then one wailed, "But you _can't_ have a boyfriend! You're _our_ Princess!" The group huddled together and began to discuss amongst themselves when their president, a man who towered over Brendan, declared "We don't recognize him as worthy of being your boyfriend."

"You do realize May's the only one capable of deciding if someone's worthy of her, right?" Brendan piped up.

The president glowered at the Professor and proceeded to make the mistake of grabbing Brendan by the collar.

Maybe it was because most people associated his job with being cooped up in a building and poking as glass tubes all day. Maybe it was because he was in a lab coat, which essentially was a shapeless white shroud with sleeves that hid the developed muscles in his arm. But Brendan's arm was a blur and there was the sharp crack of bone striking bone.

The president crumpled to the ground, unconscious while Brendan tried to shake some feeling back into his fist. Brendan was by nature a hands-on guy. Which mean that even if he wasn't a violent man, he never backed down from a fight and he had no aversion to using force.

To the rest of the fan-club, Brendan simply gave them a _look_. One that he learned from Norman.

There was the squeaking of feet and the scuffle of a body being dragged along floor as the men vacated the premises.

"Sorry about that, May," he apologized, knowing full well how May hated to see him get into fights.

"You were just defending yourself," May smiled, "And thank you for punching his lights out. I was so close to kicking him."

"With your three-inch stilettos?" he gulped, knowing full well how they could go through a man's instep like a hot knife through butter.

"Ah, so you do get my point," she laughed, linking her arm with his. With a dramatic gesture towards the Contest Hall doors, she ordered "And now Professor, your Princess wishes for dinner!"

* * *

**Cookiesshipping**

Harley had been waiting in the changing rooms for May for what felt like _forever_. It was an exaggeration, to be sure, but Harley always had a thing for hyperbole and taking things to extremes. He and May were supposed to meet up after the Contest, mostly so he could tease her about being so popular with the boys but the possibility of talking technique and fashion wasn't out of the question.

So when he ran out of what was an already short amount of patience, the flamboyant Coordinator went in search of his little Cookie.

Why was he not surprised to find her in a ring of boys? Why was he not surprised to find himself frowning at all the attention she was giving them? And, this was the most important bit, why was he not surprised that he was furious that she wasn't giving _him_ any?

Gathering his composure, Harley shoved a path clear to May, trilling "There you are," in sing-song.

He practically swept her into his arms, cooing and cuddling and absently prattling on about "You looked so darling in red, but you should consider wearing _green _one of these days," and "I didn't hear you cheering me on during my Wigglytuff's appeal, you being backstage is no excuse," and "Oh but I forgive you~ How can I stay mad at my adorable little Cookie, I could just eat you up!"

"Harley! What gives?" May gasped, struggling in his grip.

With a wicked gleam in his eyes, Harley leered at the fan-boys, "You boys wanna join us?"

The men instinctively took a step back. It was difficult _not_ to, given Harley's less-than-sterling reputation and the casual malice in his grin.

"W-we'll see you at the next contest, May!" the large president gulped, shuffling backwards and trying to put as much distance between himself and Harley.

"Look at them scurry away like Rattatas, you'd think they've never seen people in loooooooove before!" he laughed, finally loosening his hold on the younger Coordinator.

"I could have handled them, you know. You didn't have to rescue me," May huffed.

Her failing to correct him about being in love didn't go unnoticed. Of course, she could have meant she was in love with _someone_ else. Although whether it was a certain grass-head or that Professor-boy Harley didn't know nor did he care because he took his victories however and wherever he could. He slung an arm around her shoulders and bodily led her out of the Contest Hall.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I know said I could just eat you up, but-"

"Harley!" May turned bright red and dug her heels in.

"Relax, May, I was going to finish it with _but a burger sounds better. _Why? What did you think I was going to say?"

She said nothing but she became decidedly easier to steer.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** When I saw this prompt, I immediately thought of Mothers for Pokemon and wondered how Drew or Brendan would react to May being harassed by fan-_boys_. It wasn't easy picking between the two ships but then I thought, why do I have to choose? So I wrote for both of them! And then for reasons unknown, _Harley_ demanded I write one for him too (is it just me or is it is really hard to say no to Harley?) So you get a bonus Cookieship piece. Thank you for reading! Reviews are loved!


	3. Surrender

**Surrender: Contestshipping**

The Grand Festival has come and gone, which usually means it's back to training for next year's festival for Drew. But instead of practicing a new combination, or running through an appeals routine, he's actually attending the Slateport City Ball. He can justify that his Pokemon deserve a break for their excellent performance. He can explain away how he enjoys the company of like-minded enthusiasts and there is no better gathering than this.

He can pretend all he likes that he's not really there because he found out May was attending. Even if nobody believes him. No, not even himself. But he can lie with the best of them and he's far too accustomed to putting on a show that it almost feels true.

Up until the point he sees her.

He can't keep his eyes from following the trail her thin, gold-chain necklace makes along her neck. Neither can he keep his gaze from ending at the teardrop pendant dangling _just_ above the swell of her breasts. And he finds himself remembering things from his childhood. Like the all-consuming passion they shared for Coordinating, the music that was her laughter, the shy blush that crept across her face when he held her hand for the first time.

It isn't long before he's thinking thoughts that would never have occurred to him when he was a child of eleven, like snaking his hands around her slim waist and pulling her flush against him. And raining a series of kisses on her neck's creamy skin, interspersed with light nips that move further and further downwards.

Somewhere in between the nostalgic reminiscing and the less-than-pure fantasizing, he realizes her blue eyes are trained on him. He hopes she noticed him because she spotted his hair and _not_ because she felt the weight of his lingering gaze.

He's unable to hide his surprise when she makes her approach. May making the first move? How bold of her. She's definitely grown (in more ways than one) over the past decade. He shifts his stance to face her but then it becomes apparent her attention is focused on something to his right.

Specifically _someone_ to his right. Someone Drew recognizes as Brendan Birch.

His eyes narrow at the overly familiar way May links her arm with the other man's and the quick peck she gives his cheek. Drew knows he's only seen May a handful of times these past ten years. He knows it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that they see other people in between Contests and formal gatherings like this. He knows there was _nothing_ between them beyond the childhood rivalry and camaraderie.

Even though they had given hints that perhaps they wanted something _more_, they had been both too young and too stubborn and too full of pride to make the first move.

For all intents and purposes, the clenching of his fists and the gritting of his teeth should just be out of mild irritation that May noticed Brendan first. It should not be because he listened to the caustic whispers of something with suspiciously green eyes.

But he finds himself acting giving into its suggestion of getting involved _anyway_.

"-always looked real good in a suit. But I miss the hat!" He hears her laugh and feels his jaw clench at the ease in her voice.

It's the Professor who spots his approach and Drew is given a knowing smile. The dark-haired man suddenly asks in a stage whisper, "So, May, any chance the Princess of Hoenn will ever find her Prince?"

The brunette cants her head, her body language indicating she did not expect that question from him of all people. "Why do you ask, Brendan?"

Brendan seems intent on waiting until Drew is standing directly behind May before he answers, with a smug confidence that rivals the chartreuse-haired Coordinator's, "Ah, it's just a question that's been on a _lot_ of people's minds."

"Ugh, please tell me you don't actually buy into the gossip," the female Coordinator groans.

"I'm surprised _you_ don't," Drew sneers, no longer able to keep his silence.

Sharply, May pivots on her heels and snaps, "And just what would you know about-"

Drew almost expects her to lose her balance. Except she doesn't and he feels disappointed by this because part of him was ready to catch her and feel her warmth against him. But that feeling is quickly forgotten when he is staring straight into her wide, blue eyes.

"-Drew," she breathes, visibly surprised to see him, the rest of her remark seemingly forgotten. The corners of her mouth pull up as she tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I-I didn't think I'd see you here."

"Why would you think that? This is a gala for the top Coordinators and Trainers isn't it?" Behind the confident flick of his hair, nervous energy dances through Drew and again he finds himself thinking of their childhood. Of the warmth in his chest and the blush on her cheeks when he held her hand for the first time.

His eyes instinctively dart toward a moving form and realizes it's Brendan quietly sneaking away. The Coordinator stares suspiciously at the Professor who, upon realizing he'd been spotted, returns the stare with equally hard eyes before disappearing into the crowd.

Up until that moment, Drew has never met Brendan Birch but the Coordinator is a well-read man. There are numerous magazine articles hailing Brendan's skill in utilizing his abilities as a former Trainer to aid his research. "How do you know Brendan Birch?" He asks; his gaze is once again focused on May.

She blinks at that, glancing over her shoulder as if to confirm something with the aforementioned Professor.

Drew tries not to frown at the disappointment that flit across her features when she discovers the dark-haired man was gone. She proceeds with long-winded stories about growing up with Brendan, parting ways with Brendan, reuniting with Brendan. Brendan this and Brendan that. Drew isn't sure how much more he could stomach.

At least not without a stiff drink. Or punching something. Or both.

"You two sound close," the chartreuse-haired coordinator mutters, feeling like he just made the Understatement of the Year.

"We are," she answers, blue eyes searching for the dark-haired Professor, seemingly oblivious of the bitterness in Drew's words. Some things just don't change.

But some things _should_ change.

Which was why Drew finally gives in and asks, "Should I be jealous of him?"

May stares up at him, her mouth a perfectly round O. "What do you mean?"

He bites back a groan, wondering how exactly a grown woman could read her Pokemon's moods and personalities well enough to win a Ribbon Cup but utterly fail to pick up on his hints? For Arceus' sake, he actually uses words!

"I mean, is he the so-called Prince for the Princess of Hoenn?"

Her eyes are saucer-wide and the apples of her cheeks are visibly pink beneath her make-up. "What? Have you been talking to Harley again? Because I know you don't read the trashy tabloids that print that stuff."

"Yes or No, May. It's just one word."

She looks askance, a hand fiddling with her pendant, "I'll answer your question _if_..." she trails off.

"If what?"

"If you answer one of mine too." Her eyes are hard, face set in grim determination. "Yes or No, Drew. I only want one word. I don't want flowers or gestures or any of your vague little sayings."

He resists the knee-jerk response of dismissing her accusation and instead wordlessly agrees.

She takes a deep breath and with a steady voice tells him, "No. He's just a very dear friend."

"Is that all he is to you?"

"Hey! It's my turn to ask you!"

"Fine. Let's have it."

"Do you like me?"

His answer is an instantaneous, "No."

"O-oh."

"I _love_ you."

"O-oh!"

And she smiles and blushes exactly the way she did when he first held her hand only now he's holding her in his arms. He would be wondering why in Arceus' name did it take him this long if he wasn't currently preoccupied with convincing himself this was real and that he hadn't just imagined the whole thing.

When he feels her fingers brush against his cheek, Drew decides to finally give into the moment and kiss her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** It's shorter than the first chapter and not as funny, and for that I apologize. The next update will be a Hoenshipping piece even if I don't know when I'll actually finish it. Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated and loved!


	4. Closer

**Closer: Hoennshipping**

When May returned to Petalburg, the only thing on the Coordinator's mind was to drop off her little brother and then immediately continue on her journey to Johto. Well, no, there was the matter of dinner and getting to sleep in her bed. Making a change of clothes couldn't hurt. And there was nothing wrong with spending some time with her mother to go shopping for a Coordinating Outfit...

Okay, now that she thought about it, there were a _lot_ of other things she needed to take care of before she could continue with her journey to Johto. There wasn't any real rush.

Barring any Legendaries waking up to resume their eons-old war, the region would still be there tomorrow and the week after.

With a noticeably less frantic pace, she and Max entered the Petalburg Gym. The siblings were surprised to find nobody was around but they could hear the distinct sound of a gym battle going on.

"Looks like dad's busy with work," May observed.

"Let's go watch! It's been a while since we watched him battle," Max suggested, already heading for the gym.

Her travels had given May an appreciation for battling and she knew she still had a lot learn before the next Ribbon Cup came along. "You know, Max, now and again you have a good idea," she grinned, following after her little brother.

The siblings arrived in time to catch the tail-end of the match. Norman's Slaking had just taken a hard blow and was teetering unsteadily before it fell backward with a heavy thud.

Kenny raised a flag, declaring, "Slaking is unable to battle! The winner of the match is Brendan Birch!"

May perked at the name and her gaze darted toward the challenger. She recognized him or the outfit at least. She'd been all over Hoenn and Kanto and not once did she ever spot another person wearing that white hat.

Of course at the time she'd been more preoccupied with other things such as Coordinating, encountering Pokemon, and dealing with Team Rocket's latest ridiculous scheme of stealing Pikachu. But still, looking at the older boy proudly shaking her father's hand, May could hardly believe it was the same kid who once tried to make her jealous that he was going on a Pokemon journey ahead of her.

Back then she was jealous, not because he was going to learn to be a Trainer but because she wanted to travel. She wanted to see the world for herself, dreams of hosting a travel-tour show filling her head. Pokemon were just an excuse.

How far she'd come since then.

Max ran up to their father, complaining that he missed what sounded like an incredible battle with May not too far behind. She gave her father a quick peck on the cheek and Brendan a friendly wave. She wondered if he remembered her.

The gym's assistant greeted them and volunteered to inform Caroline of their arrival but May insisted on doing it herself.

"Let me go with you," Brendan offered, falling in step with her as they walked out of the gym towards the house. "I have some magazines from Sinnoh Caroline might like."

"You've been to Sinnoh?" May sounded impressed.

"Yeah and I gotta say, there's no place like home."

"What are you doing in Petalburg then? Don't you live in Littleroot?"

"You remembered?" his grin grew wider. "Dad's in the city for some symposium, I figured I could accompany him a bit. Maybe see if I could finally beat your dad, too."

"And you did," May pointed out.

"It feels weird to be honest," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Like, I guess I sort of knew I changed but I didn't realize how much until then."

"Well, you got taller since I last saw you," she added.

"Or you got shorter," he joked then ducked her playful swat, conceding, "You got taller too, I _guess_."

She stuck her tongue out at him, "I've done a lot of growing up since I went on my journey."

"Oh?"

Before May could elaborate, they ran into Caroline who immediately declared Brendan was to have dinner with them that night. A sweet smile cuts off the immediate protest from Brendan, "Your father just called me a moment ago. His symposium was going to run later than he expected so I told him you could definitely do with a home-cooked meal."

And that was settled. Brendan was staying for dinner, which wasn't going to be for a few more hours.

May, who was accustomed to and sometimes missed her mother's ways, took it upon herself to keep Brendan company. She even reminded him about the magazines and the bewildered trainer gratefully handed the aforementioned literature to the Gym matron.

"Oh how thoughtful! Thank you, Brendan, it's nice to see someone who remembers me on their travels."

May chose to ignore the dig at her less-than-regular rate of phoning home. She'd been preoccupied with _other_ things then, Coordinating, new Pokemon, and etcetera. Still, she mumbled a half-hearted apology before quickly dragged Brendan away under the pretense of keeping out of her mother's way.

"I bet you don't have that trouble with your parents," she grumbled despite the fact she was actually glad to be home.

"My dad often forgets about me if I don't call home," he shrugged, no bitterness in his words, just a sort of sad resignation.

"I think we just... get caught up in things," May said lamely, leading Brendan out into the backyard well out of anyone's way.

"Yeah, traveling and researching definitely does that," he was back to grinning and sat down on the grass without a second thought.

May took the spot beside him, staring up at the afternoon sky. "It's been how long? Two years?"

"Twenty months and nineteen days, give or take an hour." When he saw she was staring at him he brought out his PokeNav, pressing the buttons and showing her the calendar function. "I keep count."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess I like being able to look back on something definitive."

"Your badges should be pretty definitive. I mean my ribbons feel like that."

"Ribbons? You mean you're a Coordinator?" he sounded genuinely surprised.

"Wha- I thought you knew?"

"I, uh, don't really follow the Coordinator circuit," he sounded sheepish. "All that strutting and stuff, it wasn't something I got into."

"I'll have you know Coordinating isn't just about looking pretty and being fancy," she huffed. "There's even a battle portion so your style needs substance to back it up."

"Oh? Well, at least now I'll have a reason to keep up with it?" he sounded apologetic.

"It's fine, Brendan," she sighed, lying on her back, still staring up at the sky. "Actually, I don't really watch the Pokemon Leagues unless I knew a friend was participating in it," she admitted. "That was more of Max's thing."

"Honestly, I'm just surprised you took being a Trainer seriously. I mean, when I left you said you were going to be a travel-expert and go on all sorts of expeditions to faraway places."

She smiled at how he actually remembered her telling him all that. "I still plan on traveling. I'm just here to drop off my brother and rest up a bit. And then I'm off to Johto for Contests. I'm going to be a Grand Festival Champion one day, you just wait."

They don't speak for some time, content with the silence between them.

"You going to Johto alone?" Brendan eventually asked.

"Yeah, I'm a little nervous about it actually."

"Would you mind some company?"

"Why? You offering?" she was joking.

"Yep," he wasn't.

"Oh. Wait, you're going to Johto too?"

"Yeah, and after that Kanto. My dad was saying how similar Johto and Kanto were with each other and I figured it would be interesting to see for myself where they were similar and different. Of course there's the Pokemon too, do they affect the region or does the region affect them?"

May didn't remember this sense of fascination and analysis from Brendan. He used to just charge into things because he wanted to, sort of like Ash really. Had he changed since he left or had he always been like this and she never really bothered to notice?

"So?" he prompted.

"Uh, I don't know. I always thought the Pokemon were a reflection of the land..."

"No, I meant me going with you to Johto," he laughed, "Although I wouldn't mind knowing why you think that about the Pokemon."

"Well..." she trailed off, turning the question in her head, "I really wouldn't mind going with someone. And I think my parents would worry less but..."

"But what?"

"I sort of wanted to go on my own so I could learn my own style of Coordinating. I might end up copying your style of battling by accident."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I said I wanted to learn my own style of Coordinating," she repeated, unsure how she could say it any clearer than that.

"And I said what's wrong with that? Experimenting, practicing, it's all part of discovering your own style. You pick up on things that you think will work for you, try it out, and if it works for you, great! Keep it! And if doesn't work try to figure out why for next time," he said in one long, seemingly practiced spiel.

"It sounds like you've given that a lot of thought..."

"When you travel alone with only your Pokemon with you, you either find something to occupy your mind or you start talking to yourself," he grinned. "Or in my case, I had meaningful monologues while my Pokemon listened and pretended their Trainer wasn't going stir-crazy."

"Oh so you're more interested in _me_ keeping _you_ company?" she teased, sitting up to flutter her lashes at him, expecting it'll rile him up.

It didn't. He laughed instead.

"I wouldn't have said no if you'd asked." He reclined back, resting on his elbows as he peered at her, "But I hope you don't feel pressured to say yes. You have to decide what's best for you."

She pulled her knees to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs in deep thought. Then, finally, she answered, "Okay. We can go through Johto together."

He rose back to sitting, about to say something when she pointed a finger at him, "But! My Contests come first for me."

"You got it," he gave her a thumbs up and added, "You've really changed a lot since we last saw each other. It's like I don't even know you anymore."

"I could say the same about you, Mister land-affects-the-Pokemon," she countered.

He laid back down on the grass again, eyes closed and smiling, "True, very true. But we've got the whole of Johto to get to know each other again, don't we?"

"Yeah," she nodded, following suit.

Both content to let the sentiment of _looking forward to it_ go unsaid between them.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** An attempt at reconciling game-verse logistics with anime-verse events. It's probably inaccurate and non-canon compliant but I have no regrets. Last one for a while. As always, reviews are loved and appreciated!


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